Protecting an injured shoulder

F

FastManners

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have recently developed a muscle strain and mild arthritis in the shoulder of my cueing arm and would love it if anyone has developed a way of protecting such an injury whilst still playing.
I started physio therapy last week and am now exercising it daily to try and help speed up the healing process, as I have the BCA Nationals in under two weeks time and I want to be able to be competitive.
It is good enough to play at the moment, but my stroke is certainly adversely affected.
Hopefully someone will have a few pointers on how to adjust my game to restrict the strain on my shoulder.
Thank you.
 
Post

Shoulders are a monster to rehab... Take time off and rehab it as tolerated.



Best recovery.

Rob.M
 
Shoulder pain sucks for playing pool. When I injured mine, I found that using a more upright stance was a bit more comfortable, but I guess it all depends on where and how you got injured. I also changed to a softer cut break to take some impact off the shoulder as well.

In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have played as it was very frustrating and probably ended taking longer to heal than it should have. But you know how poolplayers are.

Anyway, good luck and take it easy out there.

Vic
 
Fast Manners...The truth is that the shoulder doesn't have to be a part of the stroke process at all...even on the break. A pendulum stroke eliminates any involvement of the shoulder in the swing, and consequential potential injury from using the shoulder. Come see us at the Masters Pool School, at the Rio, to learn more about this, for free, when you're out in Vegas for the BCA tournament. :D

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
 
I was just told by my surgeon I need to have another rotator cuff surgery. My 1st surgery was on my left shoulder in September 2009
and then my right shoulder had rotator cuff surgery in September 2011 which failed. The big head tendon had to be reattached and
two big full thickness tears re-sown and that surgery failed. So in October 2013 the repair was done again and now that surgery has
failed and so now I'm awaiting word when my next surgery will be. This will be my 3rd one in 3 yrs....rotator cuff surgery sucks and it
doesn't work very reliably like knee surgeries........so it will be a total of 4 rotator cuff surgeries shoulder since September 2009.

I have become an expert on shoulder injuries......right now I have a degenerative tear of the superior labrum extending into both the
anterior and posterior labrum, the long head tendon has pulled away from the medical bolts used to attach it to my right arm's humerus
bone and I also have a new full thickness tear in the supraspinatus measuring 2.5cm. There's also muscle attenuation of the short head
tendon as well and glenohumeral joint effusion with fluid accumulation in the subdeltoid bursa......sound like I have some problems yet?

Shit after 3 shoulder surgeries, 7 MRI's, and over 135 hours of physical therapy......I should know something about shoulder injuries but I
can't diagnose a condition which only a qualified physician can do......But I sure tell you what's in store with shoulder surgery and what can
go wrong too......this will be my 2nd repair attempt on the original surgery.......this is just stupid.

A pendulum swing even with a stationary shoulder clavicle position still involves enormous internal movement of the muscles & tendons
that attach your arm to your shoulder joint. I've become an expert on the construction of the shoulder and movement of the various muscles
and tendons that attach your arm and shoulder. Your shoulder may not sway during the pool stroke but all those muscles still move internally.

If you badly tear your labrum or supraspinatus or infraspinatus, you won't be swinging a pool cue that's for sure....pendulum swing or otherwise.
You "cannot" move your arm forward or backward, up or down, to and fro or reach for something let alone perform a pendulum swing of a pool
cue without the internal shoulder & arm muscles moving.....that's the physical anatomy of the human shoulder and it's just an undeniable medical fact.
Scott can teach you tremendous things in pool but he can't change the functionality and interrelationship of the various moving parts of a shoulder joint.

Matt B.
 
Last edited:
I certainly feel your pain, my friend. For the past 3 yrs. I have been experiencing unbearable
pain in my right shoulder, and right arm (all the way to my fingers) when I play Pool for more
than an hour. I shoot left-handed so is mainly on my bridge hand side.
I've been through every available test, including x-rays and MRI's (full body) and the Doctors
say I have advanced Osteo-arthristis everywhere, fractured vertebraes in my Neck, compressed
discs in my Spine resulting in lots of Nerve Damage.
Of course, they are anxious to get out the knife and start hacking away at the problems but I
am reluctant due to the "No Guarantee of Improvement" disclaimer they are throwing out there.

Bottom Line: I take a Vicodin 1000mg every 8hrs. with a 600mg Ibuprophin in between each Vic.
They actually don't control the Pain, but mask it enough to get me through longer sessions on the
table (I ain't quittin' Pool for no stinkin' Pain). I will have to go under the knife some-day, but not to-day.

A friend told me about Tart Cherry Juice (not from concentrate) and that has been helping with the
Arthritis Pain. You can find it at Natural Food Stores, Trader Joe's, and some High-end Markets.
You only need to ingest about 2-4 ozs. a couple times daily to notice relief from the Arthritis.

If you are not an old has-been like me, you may want to go ahead and get the Surgery done now
and enjoy your life as actively as possible. I am a recreational player for the most part, but still
love the game as much as I did in my younger days.

Best of Luck to you, Howard
 
FastManners said:
I have recently developed a muscle strain and mild arthritis in the shoulder of my cueing arm and would love it if anyone has developed a way of protecting such an injury whilst still playing.
I started physio therapy last week and am now exercising it daily to try and help speed up the healing process, as I have the BCA Nationals in under two weeks time and I want to be able to be competitive.
It is good enough to play at the moment, but my stroke is certainly adversely affected.
Hopefully someone will have a few pointers on how to adjust my game to restrict the strain on my shoulder.
Thank you.
Click to expand...

You are lucky it isn't the opposite shoulder, that's my problem, I have torn muscles in my left shoulder and I shoot right handed.

When I lay my left hand down on the table so I can bridge with it, I used to be able to put my chin on the stick, not even close anymore, the lower I go the worst the pain!

Surgery time for me Brothers!
 
Bavafongoul said:
I was just told by my surgeon I need to have another rotator cuff surgery. My 1st surgery was on my left shoulder in September 2009
and then my right shoulder had rotator cuff surgery in September 2011 which failed. The big head tendon had to be reattached and
two big full thickness tears re-sown and that surgery failed. So in October 2013 the repair was done again and now that surgery has
failed and so now I'm awaiting word when my next surgery will be. This will be my 3rd one in 3 yrs....rotator cuff surgery sucks and it
doesn't work very reliably like knee surgeries........so it will be a total of 4 rotator cuff surgeries shoulder since September 2009.

I have become an expert on shoulder injuries......right now I have a degenerative tear of the superior labrum extending into both the
anterior and posterior labrum, the long head tendon has pulled away from the medical bolts used to attach it to my right arm's humerus
bone and I also have a new full thickness tear in the supraspinatus measuring 2.5cm. There's also muscle attenuation of the short head
tendon as well and glenohumeral joint effusion with fluid accumulation in the subdeltoid bursa......sound like I have some problems yet?

Shit after 3 shoulder surgeries, 7 MRI's, and over 135 hours of physical therapy......I should know something about shoulder injuries but I
can't diagnose a condition which only a qualified physician can do......But I sure tell you what's in store with shoulder surgery and what can
go wrong too......this will be my 2nd repair attempt on the original surgery.......this is just stupid.

A pendulum swing even with a stationary shoulder clavicle position still involves enormous internal movement of the muscles & tendons
that attach your arm to your shoulder joint. I've become an expert on the construction of the shoulder and movement of the various muscles
and tendons that attach your arm and shoulder. Your shoulder may not sway during the pool stroke but all those muscles still move internally.

If you badly tear your labrum or supraspinatus or infraspinatus, you won't be swinging a pool cue that's for sure....pendulum swing or otherwise.
You "cannot" move your arm forward or backward, up or down, to and fro or reach for something let alone perform a pendulum swing of a pool
cue without the internal shoulder & arm muscles moving.....that's the physical anatomy of the human shoulder and it's just an undeniable medical fact.
Scott can teach you tremendous things in pool but he can't change the functionality and interrelationship of the various moving parts of a shoulder joint.

Matt B.
Click to expand...

This is a pretty good brief overview and should be a kick in the pants for readers to go out and research all of the muscles groups that go into the stroke as either motors, resistance or stabilizers... I actually feel my stroke speed more in my supraspnatus and intraspinatus than I do in my arm or hand and use those and those feeling in my stroke as the power source for position play.... Most pool instructors don't know or care to know about anatomy and physiology they just look at moving parts with the idea less is better... But when you restrict motions consciously you are also hindering some muscles from playing supportive roles and causing greater stress on other groups...

My recommendation is wall crawls before and after shooting sessions and liberal amounts of ice, using your normal stroke. IF you try and change things you likely won't be able to even come close in short order to performing at your skill level...

I personally have used DMSO to rehab shoulder injuries but you would need to do the reading on it for yourself.. IF you can beat the swelling lots of times you can beat the surgery and will heal on your own.....
 
Bavafongoul said:
I was just told by my surgeon I need to have another rotator cuff surgery. My 1st surgery was on my left shoulder in September 2009
and then my right shoulder had rotator cuff surgery in September 2011 which failed. The big head tendon had to be reattached and
two big full thickness tears re-sown and that surgery failed. So in October 2013 the repair was done again and now that surgery has
failed and so now I'm awaiting word when my next surgery will be. This will be my 3rd one in 3 yrs....rotator cuff surgery sucks and it
doesn't work very reliably like knee surgeries........so it will be a total of 4 rotator cuff surgeries shoulder since September 2009.

I have become an expert on shoulder injuries......right now I have a degenerative tear of the superior labrum extending into both the
anterior and posterior labrum, the long head tendon has pulled away from the medical bolts used to attach it to my right arm's humerus
bone and I also have a new full thickness tear in the supraspinatus measuring 2.5cm. There's also muscle attenuation of the short head
tendon as well and glenohumeral joint effusion with fluid accumulation in the subdeltoid bursa......sound like I have some problems yet?

Shit after 3 shoulder surgeries, 7 MRI's, and over 135 hours of physical therapy......I should know something about shoulder injuries but I
can't diagnose a condition which only a qualified physician can do......But I sure tell you what's in store with shoulder surgery and what can
go wrong too......this will be my 2nd repair attempt on the original surgery.......this is just stupid.

A pendulum swing even with a stationary shoulder clavicle position still involves enormous internal movement of the muscles & tendons
that attach your arm to your shoulder joint. I've become an expert on the construction of the shoulder and movement of the various muscles
and tendons that attach your arm and shoulder. Your shoulder may not sway during the pool stroke but all those muscles still move internally.

If you badly tear your labrum or supraspinatus or infraspinatus, you won't be swinging a pool cue that's for sure....pendulum swing or otherwise.
You "cannot" move your arm forward or backward, up or down, to and fro or reach for something let alone perform a pendulum swing of a pool
cue without the internal shoulder & arm muscles moving.....that's the physical anatomy of the human shoulder and it's just an undeniable medical fact.
Scott can teach you tremendous things in pool but he can't change the functionality and interrelationship of the various moving parts of a shoulder joint.

Matt B.
Click to expand...

Hard to play with bad shoulders or backs.
Good luck with your recovery.
 
I have had extensive surgery (Bristow ) procedure. I regret it everyday of my life. Always use ice after any activity. Anti inflamatory drugs like Celebrex help. You could also try Kinesio tape for support, but nothing seems to work very well and constant pain and swelling are a problem. A friend recently had a shoulder replacement and he no longer plays at all. I'm not a big believer in surgery.
 
Howard......we're the same age generation.......what is sad is that 66.8% of all rotator cuff surgeries performed on males
over the age of 55 years old fail within two years of the original surgical repair.

Well, I am living proof of that statistic......tendons are the worst because they receive very little blood flow......then the cartilage
deterioration......and the muscle tears that don't heal well and have little durability....and so why the _uck am I still buying pool cues?

I know that I can't play marathon matches any longer, I live with Oxy & Narco and know what....my pool stroke changes as my muscles
start aching and tire quickly playing pool. I play much stronger early in a match than later on.....just a fact with my right shoulder limitations.

Scott can help you with a pool stroke flaw but he can't lay hands on your shoulder and mystically repair the problem but nonetheless still
makes a good point about moving the shoulder at the acromium/clavicle during a stroke which can screw up your pool cue stroking action.

My left shoulder surgery involved remodeling my clavicle which was whacked off at the acromium where the tendons pass underneath and
then connect to the humerus bone. That helped give me more movement in my left shoulder and it turned out okay. But the right shoulder
was a surgical nightmare.....several massive full thickness tears, delamination of the long head tendon from the bone and severe attenuation
bordering on a complete rupture of the tendon.

My work involved heavy physical labor as a boiler & cooling systems technician & lots of ladder climbing so resuming my work responsibilities
isn't very likely for the foreseeable future. I am just hoping I be able to play golf again and also play pool pain free. I just had Bob Owen make
me a fancy custom cue and Jerry R. is building my Balabushka cue right now........maybe I should smarten up and stop buying expensive pool
cues until my shoulder is stable which may never happen the way things have gone so far.

Matt B.
 
Last edited:
Howard......we're the same age generation.......what is sad is that 66.8% of all rotator cuff surgeries performed on males
over the age of 55 years old fail within two years of the original surgical repair.

Well, I am living proof of that statistic......tendons are the worst because they receive very little blood flow......then the cartilage
deterioration......and the muscle tears that don't heal well and have little durability....and so why the _uck am I still buying pool cues?

I know that I can't play marathon matches any longer, I live with Oxy & Narco and know what....my pool stroke changes as my muscles
start aching and tire quickly playing pool. I play much stronger early in a match than later on.....just a fact with my right shoulder limitations.

Scott can help you with a pool stroke flaw but he can't lay hands on your shoulder and mystically repair the problem but nonetheless still
makes a good point about moving the shoulder at the acromium/clavicle during a stroke which can screw up your pool cue stroking action.

My left shoulder surgery involved remodeling my clavicle which was whacked off at the acromium where the tendons pass underneath and
then connect to the humerus bone. That helped give me more movement in my left shoulder and it turned out okay. But the right shoulder
was a surgical nightmare.....several massive full thickness tears, delamination of the long head tendon from the bone and severe attenuation
bordering on a complete rupture of the tendon.

My work involved heavy physical labor as a boiler & cooling systems technician & lots of ladder climbing so resuming my work responsibilities
isn't very likely for the foreseeable future. I am just hoping I'll able to play golf again and also play pool pain free. I just had Bob Owen make a
very fancy custom cue and Jerry R. is building my Balabushka cue right now........maybe I should smarten up and stop buying these expensive
pool cues until my shoulder is stable which may never happen the way things have gone so far.

A shoulder anthroplasty has been recommended but that involves a new steel shoulder and bone grafting etc. And from what I've been told, it's
very risky and everything I read about having your shoulder replaced with a steel shoulder joint indicates don't do it...so I am not and elected to
have the tears repaired and the long head tendon will be severed surgically (tenodesis surgery) since it keeps ripping off the humerus bone and
besides, is close to complete rupture anyway. I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed the next surgery works and remains durable.

Matt B.
 
Last edited:
Scott Lee said:
Fast Manners...The truth is that the shoulder doesn't have to be a part of the stroke process at all...even on the break. A pendulum stroke eliminates any involvement of the shoulder in the swing, and consequential potential injury from using the shoulder. Come see us at the Masters Pool School, at the Rio, to learn more about this, for free, when you're out in Vegas for the BCA tournament. :D

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

That's what I thought until I got a frozen shoulder for about 6 months a few years ago. A normal, level stoke may not hurt your shoulder, but, different elevations over the ball may be a problem, depending what causes the shoulder pain. In my case, a normal stroke with the cue near level was no problem. Shots requiring elevated cues were a big problem. I could only do a jump shot dart style because of the pain of elevation. Shooting over a ball was also a problem.
 
Whenever you elevate your pool cue, the motion is called abduction and the two bicep tendons (long head and short head) are the key muscles for that motion of the arm,
as well as the Labrum and also the Scapula muscles. I haven't attempted a jump shot since 2010....can't lift my arm to elevate the cue to a sufficient height...same with
masse shots......the arm, shoulder and back muscles are essential parts of a pool cue swinging motion.

Matt B.
 
Turn your body more towards 2 O'clock

FastManners said:
I have recently developed a muscle strain and mild arthritis in the shoulder of my cueing arm and would love it if anyone has developed a way of protecting such an injury whilst still playing.
I started physio therapy last week and am now exercising it daily to try and help speed up the healing process, as I have the BCA Nationals in under two weeks time and I want to be able to be competitive.
It is good enough to play at the moment, but my stroke is certainly adversely affected.
Hopefully someone will have a few pointers on how to adjust my game to restrict the strain on my shoulder.
Thank you.
Click to expand...

More like 2 to 3 O'clock on the break. Move the left foot one foot further towards the head ball. An open stance puts to much pressure on the shoulder.

Start the weight out mostly on the right foot and shift your weight as you stroke.

This will take allot of stress off the shoulder and still allow you to hit the balls fairly hard and with more accuracy.

try this and if you have any trouble understanding just give me a call.

715-563-8712 gene....

I teach little girls to break like KING KONG by using their leverage.

Chances are that your hurting your shoulder to some extent when you break.

I had shoulder surgery and this prompted me to find a solution and I did...
 
Don't play for a few months. Keep doing the physio therapy and do some rotator cuff exercises to strengthen the supporting muscles and joints.
Shoulders are delicate, you must listen to your body and be patient.
 
I sympathize. I had rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder 18 months ago, and it took me several months before I could comfortably stroke (I am right handed). I have a home table and a jointed bridge so I used half the bridge and learned to stroke left handed and as consequence I am much more comfortable left handed than I used to be.

your hopes of ever excelling at frisby golf are gone.

bert
 
Before my first surgery in 2009, I had a NCGA handicap of 10.3 and I was hopeful of becoming a single digit golfer.
Ha, what a silly notion.........Now I'd settle just to be able to hit balls on the driving range.
My golf activities are finished........I'm just hoping to salvage and recover my pool stroke.

Matt B,
 
The Renfro said:
This is a pretty good brief overview and should be a kick in the pants for readers to go out and research all of the muscles groups that go into the stroke as either motors, resistance or stabilizers... I actually feel my stroke speed more in my supraspnatus and intraspinatus than I do in my arm or hand and use those and those feeling in my stroke as the power source for position play.... Most pool instructors don't know or care to know about anatomy and physiology they just look at moving parts with the idea less is better... But when you restrict motions consciously you are also hindering some muscles from playing supportive roles and causing greater stress on other groups...

My recommendation is wall crawls before and after shooting sessions and liberal amounts of ice, using your normal stroke. IF you try and change things you likely won't be able to even come close in short order to performing at your skill level...

I personally have used DMSO to rehab shoulder injuries but you would need to do the reading on it for yourself.. IF you can beat the swelling lots of times you can beat the surgery and will heal on your own.....
Click to expand...

Have you used DMSO internally or just externally at painful area?
I bought a bottle of high quality stuff but haven't used it yet
 
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